This year, I made five gaming-related New Year’s Resolution for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and one of them was to play more handheld games. If I could spare ten minutes to play Angry Birds on my iPhone, I rationalized, surely I can make time this year to catch few more Pokemon, explore more of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, or lose myself to a few more rounds of Planet Puzzle League.
Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of leaving my DS games in the seat pocket on airplanes, so my collection is a skosh on the small side. Fortunately for me, there’s an absolute stockpile of quality games already available for the DS, along with the 3DS’s expanding library of games, and the PS Vita looming on the horizon. Here are five games worth making time for this year.
Five portable games I will make time to play this year
5) Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart was one of the first games I bought for my Nintendo 64, and my love for the series has gone strong for the past fifteen years (and cripes, do I feel old typing that). It’s been a while since I’ve had any new experiences in dropping banana peels and power sliding to victory, which is where Mario Kart 7 comes in. Featuring what some reviewers call the strongest track collection to date, Mario Kart 7 graces the 3DS with classic (“klassic”?) kart-racing action, along with a few sprinkles of new gameplay, like the return of coins as speed-boosters, or the addition of gliders and propellers to give karts added movement. Mario Kart‘s gameplay is perfectly suited to three-to-four minute bursts, and Mario Kart 7 looks to be another fine addition to Nintendo’s esteemed racing series.
4) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks vs. Phantom Hourglass
Not owning a Wii, my life has been cruel and Zelda-less ever since I finished The Wind Waker way back in 2003. Fortunately, Zelda has two lengthy, quality offerings for the DS, giving me an opportunity to quest for the Master Sword and stop Ganon on the go. Two touch screen-controlled Zelda games have been released so far: Phantom Hourglass from 2007, and Spirit Tracks from 2009. Either would feed my Hylian action-adventure fix, but for the purposes of this list, I’m choosing Spirit Tracks–I like the idea of using the train to navigate, even if it does cut down on the series’ signature exploration, and I’d prefer to avoid the much-maligned Temple of the Ocean King from Phantom Hourglass, a timed stage that players must complete after completing each dungeon. Fun stuff.
3) Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Turn-based JRPGs are some of my favorite games, and Nintendo handhelds generally have a nice repository of quality menu-driven action. Several recent games vyed for a spot on this list, but I’m most excited about Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Having played through the first game (and completely missed out on the second), I have an attachment for the Golden Sun universe, and for its emphasis on puzzle-solving as well as combat. Dark Dawn carries on its predecessors’ legacy, with multiple Psyenergies to utilize, as well as more elusive Djinn to track down for summoning purposes. I’m not sure if anyone else is excited at the prospect of returning to Camelot’s much-acclaimed GBA series, but I love the idea of having more advenures with Isaac, Mia, and all the rest.
2) Super Mario 3D Land
All of the hype and kind words about this game have driven me this close to purchasing a 3DS, and even now, I’m not so sure that I won’t find myself leaving Target one day, $169.99 poorer and enjoying one of Mario’s best handheld outings in years. The little I’ve played of Super Mario 3D Land feels significantly more tight and precise than I thought the 3DS circle pad could manage, and the 3D effects give the game a unique flavor that I can’t find on other consoles (lacking, as I do, a 3D-capable television set). The other footage I’ve seen looks like a fantastic collection of gameplay tropes from Super Mario Galaxy mixed with the art design from Super Mario Bros. 3, alternating between 2D and 3D space with few hiccups and even fewer complaints. Solid 3D platformers are a rare treat nowadays, and Mario is still the best in the biz at what he does.
1) Radiant Historia
Every once in a while (about three times a week, by my count), gamers who grew up on 16- and 32-bit JRPGs lament their absence from the current gaming climate. “Why don’t they make ‘em like they used to?” we cry, dismayed at the notion that games like The Last Remnant and Nier are expected to carry the mantel established by Dragon Quest, Breath of Fire, and more. Well, now’s the time for me to put up or shut up, because Atlus has given me exactly (and if everything I’ve ready is true exactly exactly) what I’ve asked for. Radiant Historia is a sprite-based 16-bit RPG with turn-based combat and an emphasis on character-interaction and deep, layered storytelling. From its unique, grid-based battle system to its tricky, time-twisting story, Radiant looks to tread an expert balance between nostalgic design and progressive ideas. In his review, Game Informer editor Joe Juba mentioned Radiant Historia in the same breath as Earthbound, Final Fantasy, and Chrono Trigger, saying that anyone who has longed for 16-bit RPGs needs to play this game sooner than later. If I have my way, dear readers, I’ll make it sooner.
Lunar is a series of RPGs originally released for the Sega CD, and later ported to the PlayStation. The first game in the series, Lunar: The Silver Star Story, is one of my favorite games, with a strong cast of characters, an engrossing, if familiar story, and a clever, incredibly competent English localization. Lunar: The Silver Star Story did little to move the RPG genre forward (though considering it was based on a game originally released in 1992, this isn’t too surprising), but it did foster a warm, lovingly nostalgic experience for RPG fans like myself, making return to its world a welcome option.
Beetle Adventure Racing!’s title is more self-explanatory than it first appears: you race exclusively using Volkswagen Beetles, and the game emphasizes exploring over simply getting the quickest lap time. The game’s unconventional mix of racing and discovery gave it a unique flavor, and to this day, nothing quite matches the size and scale of BAR!’s courses; each lap takes anywhere from two to four minutes to complete, often with more hidden passages than can fit into three circuits around the track. I wrote a whole piece last year for 
The spiritual successor to Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark saw multiplayer life in my household like few games before or sense. With its future-cool vibe, impressive arsenal of weapons, and impeccable shooting mechanics, Perfect Dark managed to carry Bond’s secret agent mantel while carving out its own identity. Awesome, too, was the multiplayer, improving on Goldeneye by adding customizable weapon packages, AI bots to populate the field, and myriad sliders and options for customizing matches. Played today, Perfect Dark is still a rush, even among other modern shooters. Disregarding the sub-par sequel that Rare released alongside the launch of the Xbox 360, Perfect Dark is one of Rare’s strongest franchises, and I hope they can grant fans with a new entry sometime soon.
Released during the twilight years of the Nintendo 64, Jet Force Gemini is a combination action-platforming game in the same vein as the Ratchet and Clank series: players are given a series of open levels to jump and shoot through with increasingly-creative weapons, along with several sections for backtracking. JFG lacks the polish Ratchet games are known for, but the results are still quite fun—blowing cyborg bugs to high heck with a three-barreled rocket launcher never, ever gets old, and the combination of exploration and heavy artillery is still an appealing one. Ratchet proved that action and platforming make for one hell of a blend, and Rare is missing out by not reviving one of its best forgotten brands.
Lord knows if anyone else will buy it, but Zone of the Enders is one of my all-time favorite series in games, and I would welcome a new entry with a fervor generally reserved for seven or nine prodigal sons. ZOE (an abbreviation I have lovingly used since I caught first wind of the game in 2001) is perhaps the most Andrew-specific series in the industry, appealing to both my love of stylish action games and giant robot anime, and excelling in both areas. My favorite part about ZOE is how it feels like playing a Super Robot animation, perfectly capturing the fantastical, frantic, heavily-stylized action I love about the genre. Rumors of a 
The game title that coined the best, most-nonsensical gaming term since “Metroidvania,” Metal Gear Rising: Revengence (it’s so bad, and I love it) is a sidestep for the series, focusing on wimpy-kid-turned-ninja-badass Raiden. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, mostly because I’m absolutely awful at stealth games, so Revengence‘s new emphasis on hack-y, slash-y, stylish action is a welcome departure for me. Plus, it’s being developed by Platinum Games. Platinum Games! The goodwill I have for Bayonetta alone is enough to convince me to rush out and buy this one, no questions asked.
I’ve already discussed how much I love 
Tony Hawk suffered probably the most painful, easily-followed journey from riches to rags in gaming history, going from universally acclaimed (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2) to universally reviled (Tony Hawk Ride) in the span of eight short years. After taking a year off, the Birdman is back, and returning to his roots. THPS HD is a download-only XBLA and PSN game, and an attempt to recapture what fans loved about the series (fun, tight skating mechanics) while getting rid of what they didn’t (content-bloat; skateboard peripheral; Bam Margera; etc.). I spent entirely too much of my youth perfecting virtual kickflips and finding hidden tapes, and the prospect of doing it again in HD greatly excites me. 
Yet another reveal at the Spike VGAs, The Last of Us is the newest original game from Naughty Dog, who, after three stellar Uncharted entries, could convince me to buy an up-resed version ET for the Atari 2600 if they claimed they developed it. Little is known about The Last of Us, but the trailer’s choice to focus on character interaction rather than straight-up zombie shootin’ is a telling one; besides, Naughty Dog knows a thing or three about how to create compelling characters, and I see no reason for them to stop now. With luck, The Last of Us will do for post-apocalyptic zombie games what Uncharted did for action-adventure games.
When SSX first premiered last year under the subtitle Deadly Descents, I was worried; gone were the whimsical, Uber-tricking antics that made SSX Tricky and SSX 3 so gargantuan and fun, and in their stead was a new, grim tone, more befitting of Call of Duty: Black Ops than Cool Boarders. Since then, EA has released a bevy of new screenshots, trailers, and gameplay showing that, yeah, SSX will be just fine. Demonstrating the same over-the-top flair as previous entries while adding new elements like wing suits and the brand new Survive It mode, SSX is back to show the Shawn Whites and Stokeds of this generation how snowboarding games are supposed to play. February 28 cannot come soon enough.
